5 days in Malta – my itinerary

In recent years Malta has become one of the most popular summer destinations among Poles.

There are direct cheap flights from a couple of Polish cities, it’s not difficult to find tickets in the decent price, therefore, lots and lots of people headed to these small islands in the middle of the Mediterranean sea.

I was one of them, in autumn I’ve spent 5 days in Malta.

Malta was one of the last counties in Europe I yet had to visit (now it’s only Andorra left).

When I found flights from Wrocław with a good schedule and even better prices I didn’t think twice and just booked them.

A couple of months later I arrived in the very south of Europe and was more than ready to spend 5 days in Malta.

It was the end of October, the weather was just perfect – warm and sunny but not too hot so sightseeing was actually very pleasant. And even if there were many tourists around it didn’t feel too crowded.

If you consider visiting Malta October might be just the best time to do it!

5 days in Malta – practical information

Before I share my itinerary with you here’s a bunch of information you might need to plan your days in Malta better and to give you the background of my trip.

Where to stay in Malta

I based myself in Sliema – a town located just across the bay from Valletta, the capital of Malta.

It just seemed like the best location with really good bus connections all over the island, quick ferries to Valletta and various accommodation options to choose from – no wonder it’s the place where most of the tourists in Malta choose to stay in.

The hostel where I slept was located just up the street from the main bus and ferry stops, in the heart of Sliema.

It took me no more than 5 minutes to get there and leave Sliema to explore the country, there’s also a direct bus to/from the airport.

I think Sliema is the best base in Malta you can choose and the views across the bay to Valletta are just the prettiest!

Here is the list of suggested accommodation in Sliema, with the best location and rates:

• Budget: Two Pillows Boutique Hostel (9.2/10 on Booking) – this is actually where I stayed, great hostel with the perfect location. Click here for current rates and availability.
• Mid range: Pebbles Boutique Aparthotel (8.7/10 on Booking) or Mr. Todd Hotel (9.0/10 on Booking)
• Luxury: AX The Palace (8.5/10 on Booking) or Hotel 1926 (9.0/10 on Booking)
• More options of Sliema accommodation

Public transport in Malta

The best way to travel around Malta is by public transport.

The extensive bus network covers islands of Malta and Gozo and helps you get just about everywhere.

However some bus lines don’t run very often, there’re places where you need to wait up to one hour for the next connection.

After arriving at the new place the best would be to check when is the bus to your next destination and plan your visit with that in mind. There’re schedules listed on every stop.

To have the best of your 5 days in Malta I recommend you buying the “Tallinja Card: Explore 7 days” card.

It costs 21€ and allows you unlimited travels in both Malta and Gozo, including night services.

A single ticket bought from the driver is 1.50€ in the winter time, 2€ in the summer and 3€ for night connections.

I was calculating what would work better for exploring Malta in 5 days and it turned out the card is the best option.

Every time when you enter the bus you need to validate the journey in the machine next to the driver.

You can buy the card at the airport or at the bus terminal in Valletta (just outside of the city walls).

Be sure to take from there the map of the bus network with you – it will be your best friend for the next 5 days in Malta!

You can find more about the public transport in the country at the official website of Malta Public Transport.

There’s the downside of Malta public transport too: buses don’t run all that often in numerous areas (sometimes you need to wait even around 1 hour) and in the peak season they might get really full and don’t even stop at your stop (that happened to me twice).

You can also use hop-on-hop-off buses that cover numerous tourist attractions and provide you audio guide along the way. Click here for details and booking!

To get to Gozo you need to take the bus to the ferry terminal in Cirkewwa.

Boats depart every 45 minutes and the journey time is around 25 minutes.

When going to Gozo you don’t need to buy the ticket, you pay only once when departing on the way back.

The return ticket is 4.65€. Here’s the official website of the ferry company.

Day 1 in Malta: Sliema

I arrived at Malta airport shortly after noon.

I stopped at the tourist info to get the map of the country, got my public transport ticket and was ready to go and see what the country has to offer.

Bus X2 took me from the airport directly to Sliema, the journey time was around 1 hour.

You can also book the private transfer which is much more convenient and not that expensive – click here for more details!

I took things easy on that day.

After checking in to the hostel I went for lunch and walked around until early evening hours.

The views of Valletta were really amazing and I spent way too much time just sitting on the rocks and enjoying the place.

Also, the walk along the shore was really pleasant. I even managed to discover some decent street art around the beach – it was a nice surprise as somehow I never connected Malta with street art.

Day 2 in Malta: Valletta, Marsaxlokk and Mdina

I started my day by taking the ferry to Valletta.

The journey takes some 15 minutes, the ticket costs 1.50€ one way/2.80€ return and the boats depart every 30 minutes from early morning till late evening (here you can find the schedule).

The ferry will take you right to the entrance of the UNESCO listed old town – you just need to climb steep streets to get there.

Immediately you’re transformed into another world, so different than busy and modern Sliema.

It feels like the time has stopped there: store windows look vintage, life goes slow and the whole old town (except for the main pedestrian street) was a tranquil place.

I loved it from the very beginning but I kind of expected that – for years every time when I saw pictures from Valletta my heart beat faster.

I hid the map and let myself take random streets around, get lost in this charming and picturesque place.

My steps took me to Lower Barrakka Gardens, a quiet place with stunning views – for me it was the most picturesque point in Valletta and I was so surprised there were hardly any people around, unlike in Upper Barrakka Gardens.

Before I got to the second one I also took some random streets and found myself in the Middle Eastern quarter with Turkish, Armenian or Persian shops (signs, flags etc). It was the only place I’ve seen so far where Turkey and Armenia neighbor peacefully.

From there it was a short walk up to Upper Barrakka Gardens that also offer amazing views but was a much busier place.

You can also discover Valletta with the organized walking tour where you could learn a lot about the place. Click here for the details and prices!

I’ve decided to leave Valletta and go to the next destination I really wanted to visit – Marsaxlokk.

It’s a small village in the south-east corner of Malta and from the pictures I’ve seen online it looked just perfect. And it was just like that!

The bay around the village was full of colorful fisherman boats, typical of the place.

Some of them have so-called “Osiris eyes” – they’re supposed to see everything around and protect boats from sinking.

On Sundays, the village is busy with its famous fish market but on the random weekday, it’s just a sleepy place with beautiful views.

I’ve stayed there for lunch – numerous restaurants serving local specialties fringe along the waterside – eating in such delightful scenery was a pure pleasure!

You can visit Marsaxlokk and nearby Blue Grotto on the tour to save yourself from the hassle of public transport and see much more on that day! Click here for the details and prices!

It was around 2pm when I left Marsaxlokk and headed to Mdina (with a quick change of buses in Valletta) – a fortified little town with picturesque narrow streets, known also as “silent city”.

It’s perfect to wander around but one hour is enough to see every single corner of Mdina.

Unfortunately when I got to one end to admire the breathtaking view of half of Malta I could see a massive storm coming.

I was still hoping I will manage to see the rest of the town before it starts raining but less than 5 minutes later the sky opened.

I haven’t seen such a huge rain in ages!

It was impossible to walk on the slippery cobblestones, the lanes were flooded in a moment.

I managed to find a little corner to hide but I was literally terrified when the sound of thunders was ringing between the walls…

I don’t know how long I’ve stayed there but when the rain abated I ran to the nearest bus stop to catch the bus back to Sliema.

The second half of my day didn’t go as planned: Mdina looked really lovely but I’ve seen maybe half of it, I also had to skip nearby Dingli Cliffs that were still in my agenda.

But sometimes things don’t go as planned.

Mdina and surroundings deserve the whole day actually!

To make thing easier you can go for the tour covering the area – you can check the details and prices here!

Day 3 in Malta: Mellieha, Golden Bay, Paradise Bay

I spent half of the day visiting my friend’s sister who lives in Mellieha.

From there I took a bus to nearby Golden Bay and it was indeed stunning!

I hiked around a little bit and just loved the views, it was perfect with golden sandy beach and waves crashing into the rocks.

From there I took the bus to Cirkewwa – the point from where ferries to Gozo depart.

While the majority of people come here only for the ferry I went for yet another hike.

There were hardly any trails or marked paths, I just randomly walked in the opposite direction than ferries, next to the majestic cliffs and with breathtaking views around.

It was around 5kms but I wish it was many more, I enjoyed it so much.

And while there were many people everywhere else, during this hike I was all on my own, just with my thoughts and beautiful scenery.

Too bad at this point it was getting dark, I would keep walking all the way down to the Popeye Village.

Still, it was a really nice and active day and the views around were worth all the effort!

Day 4 in Malta: Daytrip to Gozo

When visiting this small Mediterranean country it’s a must to spend at least a day in Gozo. For me, it was the fourth day of my 5 days in Malta.

Gozo is one of the 3 islands that Malta consists of (the 3rd one is Comino) yet the overall vibe is so much different.

I must say I enjoyed Gozo much more than the main island!

I left Sliema in the morning, had a quick change for a ferry and then for the bus to the capital of Gozo – Victoria. I was there before 11 am so my timing was very good.

My first thought was to start sightseeing there, in the city, but in the end I left it for the afternoon.

As it turned out it was a mistake – Citadella, the most interesting part of Victoria, closes down at 5 pm (and I arrived there shortly after).

I started my day in Gozo with its biggest attraction – Azure Window (that, unfortunately, is gone now…).

I heard it’s overrated and really crowded so didn’t have my expectations too high but actually, the place is really spectacular.

Yes, there were many people but it wasn’t hard to escape them – the majority of tours come there just for few minutes to take a picture.

If you use the public transport (like I did) you have one hour at Azure Window and that’s more than enough time to enjoy the place, wander around, take the picture from every single angle and contemplate the place.

I really loved it there!

Even if now you obviously can’t see Azure Window anymore I still think it’s a lovely spot to visit, especially for Game of Thrones fans!

From Azure Window I went to the other side of Gozo – a small village Marsalforn.

At first sight, it looks like a cute little Mediterranean place and nothing more but it actually hides a really unique spot – salt pans!

They are located a little bit behind the town and to get there I had to pass one of the most beautiful beaches I’ve ever seen.

OK, the beach itself maybe wasn’t so great but the water was insanely clear and the massive rocks around made the place look incredible!

It’s hard to impress me these days but this place certainly did so!

Only a few steps away I found the salt pans and these were amazing too, and so picturesque!

I was surprised how come there’s no one around, I had the place all to myself.

It was the first time I’ve ever seen salt pans until then I had no idea how the whole process looks like!

My advise – if you visit Gozo don’t miss the salt pans!

I also had Ramla Beach very high on my list of places to visit in Gozo but I wasn’t sure if I can make it there in such a short time.

To my great surprise, I found there’s a direct bus from Marsalforn and headed to Ramla Beach right away. It was the right decision!

The place looked even better than on the pictures, the color of the sand was so intense!

I climbed up higher to see the beach in all its glory – what a spectacular scenery!

Too bad I didn’t know that a little bit higher there’s an abandoned hotel! Exploring it would have made the whole visit in Gozo just perfect!

But still Ramla Bay was just as I imagined, the prettiest!

After returning to Victoria I was hoping to see the Citadelle but – as I mentioned above – it was unfortunately closed.

But I still had a chance to wander around the city and I found it surprisingly pleasant.

Before heading back to Malta I had dinner at one of the town’s squares – the place was getting ready for the local festival, kids were playing, older people were chatting over coffee and I was the only tourist around.

I just looked around, trying to remember all the details, it was one of these perfect moments I wanted to remember forever.

Too bad it was getting late, I could have easily stayed there longer and just enjoy the place.

There was something I really liked about Gozo, probably the laid-back vibe.

If I ever return to Malta I could spend all my time in Gozo, that’s for sure!

In Gozo I wasted too much time waiting for buses – hop-on-hop-off bus could be a better option actually. You can check the details and book tickets here!

If you feel lazy with all the bus – ferry – bus hassle you can visit Gozo on a tour from Malta – it sounds like a great way to discover the smaller island. Click here for the details and prices of the highly rated tour!

Day 5 in Malta: Valletta, Victoriosa

My flight back home was late in the afternoon, almost at 6 pm, so I had big plans to use my last day as much as I could.

I was also lucky that on that very night the time had changed and I woke up really early, giving me even more time for sightseeing.

I arrived in Valletta just after 8 am, the city felt abandoned and I couldn’t be happier to have it all to myself.

I wandered aimlessly around, taking random streets here and there or finding one of the best street art pieces – 3D gummy bears (so good someone mentioned them at my Facebook page!).

Valletta really might be one of the most charming and picturesque capitals in Europe!

When I was done with sightseeing the streets were slowly filling up with people yet I was ready to move to my next destination.

Before visiting Malta I’ve heard from many people that Victoriosa is the most beautiful town on the island hence I couldn’t skip it.

And it was indeed really lovely but it didn’t charm me as much as I expected.

It could have been also because I was slowly starting to feel really bad and from that moment things went terribly wrong.

My last day in Malta turned into the worst day in my traveling history (you can read all about it in my post “When solo female travel sucks”) and I had to ditch all my plans for my last hours of the trip.

I was even close to missing my flight but at the end everything was fine…

To be honest I didn’t fall for Malta.

When looking at pictures of beautiful cities in Malta I had expected I’m gonna love it but it was just fine.

The views were amazing, that’s for sure, but I just didn’t feel the place and I might be the first person who said that out loud.

I had the impression that the country is perfect either for families with kids or retired people so maybe my time to fully enjoy Malta hasn’t come yet?

I also felt I might be the only (or one of the very few) solo travelers there, it’s just not the kind of destinations for people who travel on their own.

But still I believe it’s worth visiting and 5 days in Malta seem to be just right time to explore the country.

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For the end I left a few announcements that might interest you:

• Sign up to my newsletter or follow me on Bloglovin to get updates about the new posts
• Join my Facebook group about Eastern Europe, the Balkans and former USSR and connect with fellow travellers and enthusiasts of these regions – just click here!
• I’ve included a few handy links of services and products I personally like and use so you can plan your own trip to Malta too. They are often affiliate links. This means I will get a small commission if you book/purchase anything through my links, at no extra costs for you. Thank you!

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